COMSTOCK PARK – As Fruitport’s starting quarterback for the past two seasons, Bradon Dornbos has been the leader who tried to rally his troops through a lot of painful losses.

So it was only right that Dornbos got to be the hero who finally led the Trojans out of the darkness on Friday night in a dramatic 30-27 win over Comstock Park.

Fruitport had lost 12 straight games dating back to 2022, including many by pretty ugly scores.

That streak could have easily extended to 13 games if Dornbos had not come through with a pair of huge plays on both sides of the ball near the end of the game.

On the 15^th play of their final offensive drive, the Trojans faced 4^th and 11 from the Comstock Park 15- yard line with 2:40 remaining.

Dornbos took the snap and moved to the right before eventually turning back to the left side of the field. While keeping his eyes downfield, he used the clean pocket to finally throw to the end zone.

He found junior receiver DayDay Williams, who broke open and came down with the touchdown catch, and the extra point gave Fruitport a 30-27 lead.

“It was awesome,” Dornbos said about the touchdown pass. “I couldn’t have asked for a better offensive line. I knew we were scoring on that play. The safety flew over and (Williams) was wide open.”

On the ensuing Comstock Park possession, the Panthers moved quickly, covering 48 yards in just two plays.

The Panthers eventually got a first down at the Trojan 16-yard line and seemed ready to pull ahead as the clock ran down.

They threw three consecutive incomplete passes and faced 4^th down with just over 90 seconds remaining.

Comstock Park lined up for a 35-yard field goal, then took its final time out and put the offense back on the field.

The Panthers threw to the end zone, where Dornbos made a play on the ball and came down with the victory-clinching interception, leading to a huge celebration.

“We knew it was all down to one more play,” Dornbos said. “Tears were in my eyes. This class hasn’t ever really won, even in little league, so it was awesome to make it happen.”

Fruitport got the ball back, kneeled the clock out, and claimed a victory for the first time since October 28, 2022.

“Our guys played with gratitude and passion,” said Fruitport head coach Nate Smith. “We’ve talked all week about having focus and clean eyes. I think when things have gone bad, it’s kind of snowballed, but the guys didn’t let that happen tonight.”

The win was extra special for Smith, who returned to the team on Tuesday after missing last week due to a medical issue.

“It’s awesome” said Smith, who received a water bath from his players during the celebration. “For me, it means a lot. But nothing compared to some of these guys. Being gone last week was really tough on me personally. I think it was tough on some of our guys. This was an extra special week for me. It means so much to me, for them. I think they silenced a lot of things tonight and these guys have been through a lot. I have nothing but love and respect for this group.”

The ability to celebrate a victory on Smith’s return wasn’t lost on Dornbos.

“It means everything to do it for him,” the quarterback said. “I credit him for my entire future. He’s done so much for me, and I wouldn’t be close to the same person I am today without him.”

While the night ended in celebration, the game started off a bit shaky for the Trojans.

On the first possession of the game, Comstock Park drove right down the field and scored on a 15-yard touchdown pass from Ashton Fish to Christian Robinson with 10:01 left in the opening quarter.

The Trojans answered with a 30-yard field goal from Riley King after driving 57-yards on their first possession.

Comstock Park attempt a 37-yard field goal on its next possession, but the kick was no good, keeping the score 7-3 at the end of the first quarter.

On the second play of the second quarter, Fruitport’s Kalan Teeter punched in a three-yard touchdown run, giving Fruitport a 10-7 lead.

Later in the quarter, Teeter scored on a 13-yard run to give Trojans a 17-7 advantage.

Comstock Park cut the Trojan lead to 17-14 with 1:11 remaining before halftime when Fish connected with Logan Nyenhuis for a four-yard touchdown pass.

Then things got even worse for Fruitport.

A bad snap on a punt attempt caused the Trojans to turn the ball over at the eight-yard line with just eight seconds remaining in the half.

On the following play, Fish found Jace Cummings for an eight-yard touchdown pass to make the score 21-17 in favor of the Panthers at halftime.

Comstock Park’s Isaiah Bowman snagged an interception on Fruitport’s first possession of the second half and returned it for a touchdown, giving the home team a suddenly daunting 27-17 lead.

After so many losses, week after week, that might have been the point where the Trojans packed it in. But they didn’t

Dornbos punched in a three-yard touchdown run with 2:34 left in the third quarter to cut the deficit to 27-23.

That remained the score until Fruitport scored the go-ahead touchdown with just 2:34 remaining in the game.

Then Dornbos grabbed the decisive interception and the celebration began.

“It would’ve been so easy,” Smith said about the possibility of the Trojans folding after falling behind in the second half. “I think that is where this team is different. They believed in what was going on and in our coaching staff. That was the message, and I heard guys yelling it on the sidelines. I’m super proud of them.”

Teeter finished the night with 84 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries while Dornbos totaled 78 yards and one touchdown on 15 carries.

Dornbos also threw for 91 yards, one touchdown and one interception on 4-of-10 passing while Williams totaled 80 yards and one touchdown on three catches.

Fruitport is now 1-2 overall and 1-0 in O-K Silver conference play. They Trojans will travel to Muskegon Catholic next Friday for a non-conference clash.